While Andrew Webster’s first season as coach saw the Warriors capture New Zealand’s hearts with an attractive brand of rugby league, last year saw the team come crashing back down to earth.
Expectation has been the downfall of plenty of past Warriors seasons. But even as the class of 2024 limped to a 13th-placed finish, there wasn’t a single game at Go Media Stadium that wasn’t a full house.
This year, though, things are different.
After Saturday night’s 30-26 win in Brisbane – also in front of stands full of Warriors fans – Webster’s side sit second on the NRL ladder.
And given that the teams in third and fourth, the Melbourne Storm and the Canberra Raiders, play each other to end the round, the Warriors will be no lower than third place come fulltime.
From eight games played, the Warriors’ record reads six wins and two defeats. But what’s been most pleasing isn’t “how many?” as much as it is “how?”.
Last season, the Warriors lost seven games by a converted try or less, while winning just three by that same scoreline. Already this year, Webster’s side have won three games by that margin.
While any coach would happily take their side winning well every week, it’s the ugly victories that tend to say the most about a team. For the Warriors, Saturday’s win is the latter.
From 30-12 up, a run of three tries conceded in eight minutes threatened to see the Cowboys pull the rug out from under the Warriors.
However, even with just two points scored in the second half, the Warriors’ class of 2025 held.
And for co-captain Mitch Barnett, leading on his own in the absence of the injured James Fisher-Harris, this team still have plenty to show over the rest of the season.
“Our DNA is starting to show,” Barnett said. “Which is the most pleasing thing.
“Tonight, the first half we played is the best half of footy we’ve played all season. But I still don’t think we’re where our ceiling is – which is a positive.
“We’ve got a young, keen group which loves to learn. If we can learn while we’re winning, especially those tight ones, at the back end of the year, we’re going to be so much better for it.
Ed Kosi runs in to score against the North Queensland Cowboys. Photo / Photosport
“We’re pleased with where we are, but we’re not getting ahead of ourselves. We’ve got a tough game next week, we’ll review this one, but we’ll be dialling back into that.”
It’s not just the Warriors noticing their own potential either. Rival coaches are well aware of what the Warriors bring to the NRL as a genuine power.
Even after losing Shaun Johnson and Tohu Harris to retirement, even with Addin Fonua-Blake, Jazz Tevaga and Dylan Walker having left the club, and even with Roger Tuivasa-Sheck and Dallin Watene-Zelezniak joining Fisher-Harris on the sidelines, this Warriors side keep finding ways to win.
In particular, the core of young players are consistently proving themselves as ones to watch, while the maturing halves pairing of Luke Metcalf and Chanel Harris-Tavita are continuing to gel in their first season as a combination.
For Cowboys coach Todd Payten – who was Warriors interim coach in 2020, and turned down the chance to take the job fulltime so he could join North Queensland – the progress he sees from the side he departed is undeniable.
“They’re a top-four team,” said Payten. “It’s hard to win games in this competition, and hard to win lots of them like they have.
“They’re a gritty team, they’re very direct and confrontational with the way they play their footy.
“They’ve got some great athletes and they’ve got a young, developing spine which has got great upsides.
At the heart of this season’s success so far, and in particular against the Cowboys, is Metcalf.
After Johnson’s retirement at the end of 2024, Metcalf won the race to be Webster’s number one No 7 – and hasn’t looked back.
With his game being more tailored to a running five-eighth than a game-managing halfback, Metcalf has grown into the responsibility that his jersey demands.
On Saturday, that showed in spades.
In 80 minutes, Metcalf scored twice, kicked five goals, made seven tackle breaks, ran for 162m and kicked for 311m. On top of that, Metcalf made the vital tackle on Cowboys winger Murray Taulagi which saved a certain try that would have levelled scores with a kick to come.
And in combination with Harris-Tavita, who himself scored once, created two tries, kicked for 357m and made 27 tackles, the Warriors’ halves pairing is blossoming into one of the NRL’s most potent, even though there is still plenty of room to grow.
Luke Metcalf takes on North Queensland Cowboys fullback Scott Drinkwater. Photo / Getty Images
And having backed the duo as his halves pairing, despite the lure of more experienced heads in Te Maire Martin and Tanah Boyd, Webster’s belief is being vindicated.
“Luke was really good, it was definitely his best half of footy,” said Webster. “He’s going really well at learning to play while he manages the game.
“He was certainly playing and managing really well, I thought him and Chanel did a great job.
“He’s ticking along nicely, Luke. By his own admission he’s learning, and has got a lot to keep going.
“But he’s definitely making progress every week.”
Alex Powell is a sports journalist for the NZ Herald. He has been a sports journalist since 2016.
